ALGonquin Bob
Well-known member
Hurts So Good
Because I was quite busy going on kayak trips this year, I had not hiked since June. Also, on that Adirondack Upper Range trip 6 months ago, I fell twice while descending Haystack, causing an elbow bruise that bothered me for months and shook my confidence a bit. It was with great anticipation that I made plans for a winter warm-up trip last weekend. The plan was to hike Ampersand Mtn. and Lyon Mtn. (see separate TR). Although I’d driven past the trail head for Ampersand countless times, I just never got around to taking the time to hike up that particular peak. Guide books disagree on the origin of the mountain’s name, attributing it to both the “amber sand” on the beach at Middle Saranac, or to the twisty “ampersand” (&) shape of the brook. I personally like the amber sand theory.
Hitting the highway near Buffalo just before 5AM Sunday, I avoided 2 deer in the early morning darkness as I passed Batavia. Deer don’t reflect much light, and they can’t quite appreciate 70 miles per hour, either. Lucky for all of us, they remained on the shoulder of the Thruway as I slowed down and drove past. The big weekend ice storm that crippled much of the Northeast did not reach very far into New York, so I had dry roads and normal early winter conditions. After an uneventful trip through Watertown, I cruised down the Route 3A shortcut, and drove past an amazing number of birch trees that were bent over so far that the treetops touched the ground. Perhaps half of the birches were bowed over like that. I finally passed through Tupper Lake and reached Coreys Road at about 11AM to do some road condition scouting for my fellow hikers.
At around 11:30, I was at the Ampersand parking lot and ready to walk. The foot or so of powdery snow that covered everything was beautiful, making it a perfect day to return to the trails of the Adirondacks. Not long after beginning the walk, I saw 2 deer “high-tailing it” off the trail as I approached. It was great being out in the cold and playing in the snow again. I even liked it when I had to work harder as the trail transitioned from easy to moderate, to steep in the final mile. Good views of the Saranac Lakes began to be revealed as I climbed higher, and I could hear wind roaring through the treetops. After about 2½ hours of tramping through the snow, I stepped out of the forest, and climbed up toward the bare rocky summit that Verplanck Colvin had cleared many years ago in order to use the summit as a surveying base.
It was windy…. it was very windy…. it was absolutely the windiest peak I have ever been on!
Walking solo toward the high point, I staggered, stopped, took a step and stopped again, and finally crawled the last few yards to the summit bolt. Just as I reached the top, I sat down, turned around, and saw that a group of 9 hikers was right there behind me. Well, some of them were nearby - at least one sat down several yards away and stayed there to avoid being blown off the mountain. I really enjoy solo climbing, and was happy to have made it up there alone, but I don’t mind sharing the summit, especially when nice people like that offer to take my “hero” shot for me. I captured a short video of the “photographer”, and it’s included in my photos (see link). I managed to stand briefly on the 3,352 ft (1,021m) summit before slowly and methodically staggering back down into the shelter of the forest. I must say I was “blown away” by the beauty of the eye-watering view on that little mountain with the big mountain feel. 5.4 miles round-trip: 2½ hours up, and about 1½ down. It felt so good to hurt again!
Photos (including a few of Coreys Road and Lyon Mtn.)
http://good-times.webshots.com/slideshow/569244902PuEnqP
Because I was quite busy going on kayak trips this year, I had not hiked since June. Also, on that Adirondack Upper Range trip 6 months ago, I fell twice while descending Haystack, causing an elbow bruise that bothered me for months and shook my confidence a bit. It was with great anticipation that I made plans for a winter warm-up trip last weekend. The plan was to hike Ampersand Mtn. and Lyon Mtn. (see separate TR). Although I’d driven past the trail head for Ampersand countless times, I just never got around to taking the time to hike up that particular peak. Guide books disagree on the origin of the mountain’s name, attributing it to both the “amber sand” on the beach at Middle Saranac, or to the twisty “ampersand” (&) shape of the brook. I personally like the amber sand theory.
Hitting the highway near Buffalo just before 5AM Sunday, I avoided 2 deer in the early morning darkness as I passed Batavia. Deer don’t reflect much light, and they can’t quite appreciate 70 miles per hour, either. Lucky for all of us, they remained on the shoulder of the Thruway as I slowed down and drove past. The big weekend ice storm that crippled much of the Northeast did not reach very far into New York, so I had dry roads and normal early winter conditions. After an uneventful trip through Watertown, I cruised down the Route 3A shortcut, and drove past an amazing number of birch trees that were bent over so far that the treetops touched the ground. Perhaps half of the birches were bowed over like that. I finally passed through Tupper Lake and reached Coreys Road at about 11AM to do some road condition scouting for my fellow hikers.
At around 11:30, I was at the Ampersand parking lot and ready to walk. The foot or so of powdery snow that covered everything was beautiful, making it a perfect day to return to the trails of the Adirondacks. Not long after beginning the walk, I saw 2 deer “high-tailing it” off the trail as I approached. It was great being out in the cold and playing in the snow again. I even liked it when I had to work harder as the trail transitioned from easy to moderate, to steep in the final mile. Good views of the Saranac Lakes began to be revealed as I climbed higher, and I could hear wind roaring through the treetops. After about 2½ hours of tramping through the snow, I stepped out of the forest, and climbed up toward the bare rocky summit that Verplanck Colvin had cleared many years ago in order to use the summit as a surveying base.
It was windy…. it was very windy…. it was absolutely the windiest peak I have ever been on!
Walking solo toward the high point, I staggered, stopped, took a step and stopped again, and finally crawled the last few yards to the summit bolt. Just as I reached the top, I sat down, turned around, and saw that a group of 9 hikers was right there behind me. Well, some of them were nearby - at least one sat down several yards away and stayed there to avoid being blown off the mountain. I really enjoy solo climbing, and was happy to have made it up there alone, but I don’t mind sharing the summit, especially when nice people like that offer to take my “hero” shot for me. I captured a short video of the “photographer”, and it’s included in my photos (see link). I managed to stand briefly on the 3,352 ft (1,021m) summit before slowly and methodically staggering back down into the shelter of the forest. I must say I was “blown away” by the beauty of the eye-watering view on that little mountain with the big mountain feel. 5.4 miles round-trip: 2½ hours up, and about 1½ down. It felt so good to hurt again! Photos (including a few of Coreys Road and Lyon Mtn.)
http://good-times.webshots.com/slideshow/569244902PuEnqP
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